So I read all the great reviews on CC about the mat. I bought the latest 30" pro mat and it seemed great but my fondant reached a point where it just wouldn't roll out any further. I was struggling to roll it thin. I used the correct weight of fondant for the size cake that the mat called for.

When I raised the mat my fondant was sticky and leaving sticky residue marks on the mat on top and bottom. I just gave up and rolled it on my counter and got it to the thin level I needed.

I looked at the mat videos again from sweetwise. Did anyone have this problem? Should I rub any shortening on the mat or dust with PS or cornstarch? I feel like I'm missing something. I used wilton rolled fondant in the mat. It was all I had available from the store.

As far as I know, the conditioning process for the Pro is the same as for the others....yes, it needs to have a thin smear of crisco rubbed onto it.

Rae

I'm so glad you wrote back on my thread! I didn't use a smear of shortening. Now I know why it didn't work out. Will give it a go again. Thanks Rae.

I had a similar problem.  After emailing the company (very fast response) , here is how they responded.  I now love my new PRO MAT.

Could be a couple things causing a tough time for you.  First… different recipes all have unique characteristics depending on the ingredients.  We have found that all fondants work well on THE MAT but some recipes require a little tweaking.  If your fondant is sticking to THE MAT, just knead in a little extra confectioners’ sugar.  Be sparing and keep track of how much you use so you'll know next time for your particular fondant. 

If your fondant stuck to THE MAT such that you had to wash, you really need to make sure you let THE MAT completely air dry before re-seasoning.  If there is any moisture on THE MAT regardless of how much confectioners you knead, the fondant will stick. 

Before you start to roll out your fondant, take a small piece and roll it out to about the size of your palm and check to see if it peels off easily.  If not you’ll need to add additional confectioners’ sugar.  

Another factor that could contribute to fondant sticking to THE MAT, is if you’re using a lot of color, especially gel paste or water/alcohol based colors.  Check out our Coloring Fondant video on our website , in the video we suggest using powdered food color in conjunction w/ gel paste and letting colored fondant rest after kneading in color. 

Also VERY IMPORTANT - make sure you are using the correct side of THE MAT.  Your fondant will stick to the ink on the outside so make sure you look for the arrows in the corners and make sure the top sheet is on top and the bottom sheet is on the bottom.

 

Ahh well look at that. I missed the instruction to add a smear of shortening. That was one mistake. 2nd mistake is maybe the mat had some moisture still from air drying it. Thanks yal. Have to give this another go.